Riot police clash with British tourists in Algarve

AN ESTIMATED 50 riot police descended on British tourists in the Algarve after a riot broke out following a bar fight during the Portugal Invasion festival.

Liberto Mealha, owner of the venue Liberto Club, called police at 3am after his security was unable to contain the violence at the white-themed party.

Reportedly, riot officers fired at least two shots to warn holidaymakers before making four arrests.

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“What happened last night, and over the past few days, is that a group of around 1,000 British tourists, staying mainly at Clube Praia da Oura, have caused a lot of problems in the area, including thefts in supermarkets and souvenir shops and damage to rented scooters,” Mealha said.

However, 21-year-old Chelsea from London contested that “the police officers started hitting people with batons and beat up girls before starting to shoot.”

“They beat innocent people who weren’t doing anything and my friend even broke a leg” she claimed.

A spokesman for the organisers of the seven-day festival tweeted that “there is nothing we as a company could have done to avoid this situation.”

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